Djokovic, who had so far refused to reveal whether he had been vaccinated, had admitted in recent days that he was unsure whether he would compete in the Grand Slam due to restrictions on entering Australia. “I’ve had some great days with my loved ones over the holidays and today I’m heading to Down Under (a colloquial way of defining Australia in English) with an exemption permit, “the Serbian player said on his social media.
Only fully immunized or medically exempt players can compete in the first Grand Slam tournament of the year due to entry requirements. Djokovic, in fact, recently canceled his participation in the ATP Cup for this reason. The 34-year-old’s statements confirm that he is not vaccinated. Australian Open officials had announced that only vaccinated players or those deemed eligible for an exception might compete. An independent group of experts, made up of doctors, has been in charge of deciding which players can be an exception. In addition, a second group of experts from the regional government of the state of Victoria is responsible for giving a second opinion.
Last season, Djokovic dominated the circuit and won 3 of the 4 Grand Slams. Only in the last one, in the United States, was he left with a slap in the face following losing the final to the Russian Medvedev. The Serb had a great chance to reach the 21 big titles and undo the tie with Federer and Nadal, as right now all three have won 20 big tournaments. In fact, last season he lost the train to be the first player since 1969 to win all four major titles in the same calendar year. The Australian Open, the first major tournament of the season, is his favorite field, as he has won it a total of nine times. So this year he is looking for the tenth crown on an Australian track where he always receives the support of thousands of Serbs living on Australian soil.
